PHOTOS: Evanston Bike Shop Takes on DIY Business Philosophy

Just in time for spring biking season, The Pony Shop, at 1224 Chicago Ave. hosts weekly Flat Fix class on Sundays at 4 p.m. "It empowers people," explains general manager Gene Beil.

The Pony Shop subscribes to the Proverb: “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” Now that bike season is in full swing, the Evanston bike shop teaches its customers how to patch up their own flats and repair their bikes. “You empower them and become a better friend of theirs,” said The Pony Shop General Manager Gene Beil. Every Sunday at 4 p.m., the shop, located at 1224 Chicago Avenue, hosts a Flat Fix class. Free of charge, employees will teach the public how to service their bikes, so they can back-peddle out of emergencies. “It empowers people,” Beil said. “They’ll look for you as a trusted source. Not just someone trying to upsell.” The Pony Shop has been selling and …

• Photos (10)

Tag’s Bakery Celebrates 75 Years in Evanston

The family-owned shop is a birthday tradition for many locals.

  Tag’s Bakery has provided countless children with birthday cakes every year and now the store is celebrating a big birthday of its own, the big 75.  Opened in Evanston in 1937, the store was named for with the initials of the original owner’s father. He sold it to another family after just one year and Don and Jan Vetter purchased it in 1968. Don Vetter only expected to work there for a decade but didn’t retire until 1999, handing over Tag’s to his children, Gretchen and Greg. “Back when my father started it, he took pride in not only putting out a product that looked good, but tasted good,” said Gretchen Vetter. Vetter has worked at Tag’s for 33 years and said many of their bakers have been there for up to 25 years. She says that …

• Photos (1)

Dramatic Cathedral Ceiling, Hardwood, Make This Wow House a Stunner

Three fireplaces, attached three-car garage, finished basement, $1.3 million.

From elegant and stately mansions to modern, environmentally-friendly abodes, the Chicago suburbs are chock-full of one-of-a-kind homes. Each week, Patch features one Wow House that caught our attention. This week Jameson Sotheby’s International Realty has a house, 9681 Elms Terrace, listed at $1,299,000. Related: Check out all the Wow Houses. This dream home features hardwood floors, cathedral ceiling, an attached, three-car garage, three fireplaces and a finished basement. Take a peek inside, and see what this high-end price tag fetches in 60016. Want to nominate a spectacular, unusual or just plain cool property to be a Patch Wow House? Tell us in the comments section below. Find Patch on Facebook; click like. Stay connected: Receive an…

•  1 Comment
• Photos (10)

This Week’s Wow House a New Traditional Build

Features include 10 rooms, hardwood floors and a high-end kitchen.

From elegant and stately mansions to modern, environmentally friendly abodes, The Chicago suburbs are chock-full of one-of-a-kind homes. Each week Patch will feature one Wow House that caught our attention. This week a 4,670 square-foot house in Des Plaines takes the title. Click here to check out all the Wow Houses. This traditional brick and stone house, 637 Howard Ave., was built in 2007, and sits on a deep, professionally landscaped lot, 60 feet by 170 feet, with a patio in the backyard. The front door opens to a dramatic, two-story foyer, and there are cherry hardwood floors throughout. Related: A $2.9 million gem with New England charm. The heating and cooling systems are zoned, which means there is a furnace and air conditioning …

• Photos (9)

New Restaurant, Terra, Slated to Open Soon

The owners of Montarra in Algonquin set to open Green Bay Road eatery.

Free Coffee At Panera Wednesday, 7-9 AM

The chain is also letting customers suggest locations where it can deliver free treats.

Panera Bread restaurants in Chicagoland are offering free coffee tomorrow, and all Wednesdays in February, from 7 to 9 a.m. No purchase is required. Locations of Panera Bread include 7023 W. Dempster, Niles; 9465 N. Milwaukee Ave., Niles; 30 S. Northwest Hwy., Park Ridge; 2512 Waukegan Road, Glenview; 1518 Market Street, Des Plaines; 9611 Skokie Blvd., Skokie; 1199 Wilmette Ave., Wilmette; 1700 Sherman Ave., Evanston and 940 Green Bay Road, Winnetka. And as part of its Warm Up Wednesdays campaign, the restaurant-bakery chain is also promising it will deliver free, warm treats to cold Chicagoans. According to a press release, Facebook users can make suggestions as to where Panera can deliver the treats on the Panera Facebook page at …

• Photos (1)

Bites Nearby

Jacky’s on Prairie Reopens as Hota

The husband-and-wife owned spot offers contemporary American fare with a global twist.

When Hota owners Jonadab Silva and his wife Erin Silva Winston lived in an apartment around the corner from Jacky’s Bistro, they would regularly have dinner and drinks at the Evanston restaurant just across the Wilmette border. They would take advantage of the French spot’s deals, with Silva boasting that they were getting a $300 meal for $150. “We always joked that it was a good thing that we bought it, because we couldn’t afford to keep going here,” Silva said. When Chef Jacky Pluton closed the restaurant after six years in 2009, Silva signed on with the owner of the new Jacky’s on Prairie as the chef. After two years, Silva and Winston decided to buy the business to create a restaurant all of their own. Jacky’s on Prairie closed on New …

• Photos (3)